Sony's New a7RII Camera Delivers World's First Back-Illuminated FF Sensor

LetTheRightLensIn said:
that1guyy said:
This might be useful for some of you.

http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/canon-lens-owners-look-at-that-first-a7rii-autofocus-test-video-with-canon-mount-lens/

Interesting.
AF:
Looks terrible for sports and action and macro as figured.

Looks questionable for have to count on it quick moments. It might nail many, but also miss a bit more than you'd like it looks like.

But looks plenty fine for landscape and any sort of basic everyday shooting which is pretty nice (and I'd bet it actually makes it easier to tell whether that shot is really focused where you want it to be or a mistake too)!

So it seems like it would be great to use it for most things and then just use the Canon for sports/serious action/critical can't miss have to get THE moment stuff/macros.

1. Keep in mind, the first video, looks like he was shooting in single mode(not tracking). He was shooting through glass window.

2. 2nd Video - it could be min AF issue.
 
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Tugela said:
LetTheRightLensIn said:
that1guyy said:
This might be useful for some of you.

http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/canon-lens-owners-look-at-that-first-a7rii-autofocus-test-video-with-canon-mount-lens/

Interesting.
AF:
Looks terrible for sports and action and macro as figured.

Looks questionable for have to count on it quick moments. It might nail many, but also miss a bit more than you'd like it looks like.

But looks plenty fine for landscape and any sort of basic everyday shooting which is pretty nice (and I'd bet it actually makes it easier to tell whether that shot is really focused where you want it to be or a mistake too)!

So it seems like it would be great to use it for most things and then just use the Canon for sports/serious action/critical can't miss have to get THE moment stuff/macros.

Why macros? The good stuff there is usually done manually and most mirrorless cameras kick ass in that department.

I guess should put it down as mixed for macros, both better and worse.

The Canon USM macros actually have very quick macro AF and the 7 series has macro hyper AI servo mode and the 5D3 and 1DX can do similar if you set all settings to maximum twitch and speed. I routinely use AF to nail 1:1: on a moth's or fly's eye. It's pretty reliable and more fun for me to do it that way. And when you have scenarios where the creatures is on a leaf blowing back and forth in random fashion using MF can be nearly impossible and the Canon ultra AI Servo can often manage it. Of course there are some cases where MF works better than even the advanced Canon macro AF and the EVF probably makes that stuff easier than with the Canon, although it depends upon the shutter lag, only if these don't have long and/or erratic lag.

If you use other brands for Macro or non-Canon macro lenses on Canon the AF might not work out so well, but the Canon USM macros make all the talk about how "nobody should ever use AF for macro" hideously outdated.

(Also, from a personal, practical issue, my macro flash gear and all is made for Canon and I wouldn't want to have to buy new stuff for Sony. Not made of money.)
 
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Dylan777 said:
LetTheRightLensIn said:
that1guyy said:
This might be useful for some of you.

http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/canon-lens-owners-look-at-that-first-a7rii-autofocus-test-video-with-canon-mount-lens/

Interesting.
AF:
Looks terrible for sports and action and macro as figured.

Looks questionable for have to count on it quick moments. It might nail many, but also miss a bit more than you'd like it looks like.

But looks plenty fine for landscape and any sort of basic everyday shooting which is pretty nice (and I'd bet it actually makes it easier to tell whether that shot is really focused where you want it to be or a mistake too)!

So it seems like it would be great to use it for most things and then just use the Canon for sports/serious action/critical can't miss have to get THE moment stuff/macros.

1. Keep in mind, the first video, looks like he was shooting in single mode(not tracking). He was shooting through glass window.

2. 2nd Video - it could be min AF issue.

true, I'm still a bit doubtful you'd want to use it for serious sports/action/must nail the AF on something right away or miss the moment stuff though

but for anythng else, it looks promising

(and it could have certain pluses too)
 
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that1guyy said:
This might be useful for some of you.

http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/canon-lens-owners-look-at-that-first-a7rii-autofocus-test-video-with-canon-mount-lens/

Hmm...I don't think I hear dynamic range mentioned once in these reviews. They seemed focused on autofocus, adapters for Canon lenses, frame rate and shutter volume. On all of these specs, it seemed as though the reviewers were basically saying that it is almost as good as a DSLR. Funny how no one seemed to care to mention this sensor that is supposed to be the king-of-super-awesomeness-that-makes-all-other-cameras-worthless-in-comparison.

Maybe that's not such an important criteria for the majority of customers?
 
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unfocused said:
that1guyy said:
This might be useful for some of you.

http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/canon-lens-owners-look-at-that-first-a7rii-autofocus-test-video-with-canon-mount-lens/

Hmm...I don't think I hear dynamic range mentioned once in these reviews. They seemed focused on autofocus, adapters for Canon lenses, frame rate and shutter volume. On all of these specs, it seemed as though the reviewers were basically saying that it is almost as good as a DSLR. Funny how no one seemed to care to mention this sensor that is supposed to be the king-of-super-awesomeness-that-makes-all-other-cameras-worthless-in-comparison.

Maybe that's not such an important criteria for the majority of customers?
Maybe they Not allow to release IQ on pre production units. Saw few video clips the sd slot was sealed.
 
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unfocused said:
that1guyy said:
This might be useful for some of you.

http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/canon-lens-owners-look-at-that-first-a7rii-autofocus-test-video-with-canon-mount-lens/

Hmm...I don't think I hear dynamic range mentioned once in these reviews. They seemed focused on autofocus, adapters for Canon lenses, frame rate and shutter volume. On all of these specs, it seemed as though the reviewers were basically saying that it is almost as good as a DSLR. Funny how no one seemed to care to mention this sensor that is supposed to be the king-of-super-awesomeness-that-makes-all-other-cameras-worthless-in-comparison.

Maybe that's not such an important criteria for the majority of customers?


It's a pre-production camera and as such, they are not allowed to talk about image quality and things like dynamic range most likely. I'm sure they will tweak the AF some more by production and future firmware updates will improve it more. Hopefully the native ISO won't increase like it did with the A7 ii. 800 is good.

Probably in a month or so when the final camera is ready, they'll send it out to some professional reviewers and we can get some useful testing.
 
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that1guyy said:
This might be useful for some of you.

http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/canon-lens-owners-look-at-that-first-a7rii-autofocus-test-video-with-canon-mount-lens/

AF does seem faster than on A7r, but honestly, after the initial novelty of using Canon lenses on A7r with adapter wore off, I truly hate, hate carrying relatively gargantuan Canon lenses + adapter on something as small as A7r.

A7r (and II) appeal to many due to its "portable" nature, and these days I find myself just using the Native Sony/Zeiss FE55 mm and FE35mm lenses on it whenever I grab the Sony.
 
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unfocused said:
that1guyy said:
This might be useful for some of you.

http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/canon-lens-owners-look-at-that-first-a7rii-autofocus-test-video-with-canon-mount-lens/

Hmm...I don't think I hear dynamic range mentioned once in these reviews. They seemed focused on autofocus, adapters for Canon lenses, frame rate and shutter volume. On all of these specs, it seemed as though the reviewers were basically saying that it is almost as good as a DSLR. Funny how no one seemed to care to mention this sensor that is supposed to be the king-of-super-awesomeness-that-makes-all-other-cameras-worthless-in-comparison.

Maybe that's not such an important criteria for the majority of customers?

Or maybe because it's Exmor so people have a pretty good idea what to expect regarding the DR??
While people had no idea what to expect regarding AF??

And of course, you can't test DR with a test camera in hand at an expo, but you can test AF.
 
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unfocused said:
that1guyy said:
This might be useful for some of you.

http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/canon-lens-owners-look-at-that-first-a7rii-autofocus-test-video-with-canon-mount-lens/

Hmm...I don't think I hear dynamic range mentioned once in these reviews. They seemed focused on autofocus, adapters for Canon lenses, frame rate and shutter volume. On all of these specs, it seemed as though the reviewers were basically saying that it is almost as good as a DSLR. Funny how no one seemed to care to mention this sensor that is supposed to be the king-of-super-awesomeness-that-makes-all-other-cameras-worthless-in-comparison.

Maybe that's not such an important criteria for the majority of customers?

We already know it's not such an important criteria for the majority of customers via market share stats and DSLR sales stats.
 
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bdunbar79 said:
unfocused said:
that1guyy said:
This might be useful for some of you.

http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/canon-lens-owners-look-at-that-first-a7rii-autofocus-test-video-with-canon-mount-lens/

Hmm...I don't think I hear dynamic range mentioned once in these reviews. They seemed focused on autofocus, adapters for Canon lenses, frame rate and shutter volume. On all of these specs, it seemed as though the reviewers were basically saying that it is almost as good as a DSLR. Funny how no one seemed to care to mention this sensor that is supposed to be the king-of-super-awesomeness-that-makes-all-other-cameras-worthless-in-comparison.

Maybe that's not such an important criteria for the majority of customers?

We already know it's not such an important criteria for the majority of customers via market share stats and DSLR sales stats.
That's likely true with a large percentage of those "sales numbers" being the sort who only tend to get off the "green box" by accident.
 
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neuroanatomist said:
Tank like build is clearly critical to the studio/fashion crowd. ::)
If the sensors in Canon cameras precluded them from getting the results their clients demand, they'd switch. That doesn't seem to be happening.

Studio-fashion crowd works with something called lighting and subject areas that require no tonal compression so Canon can handle that with aplomb with a little partial/spot metering.
 
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unfocused said:
Thirty-seven pages rehashing the same old arguments that have been covered over and over in other threads.

Please God, let there be a new lens, flash or camera rumor to give people something else to talk about (not that it will make much difference anyway.)

HEHE! It's just another intervention for unabashed canon boosterism. :D
 
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Aglet said:
neuroanatomist said:
Tank like build is clearly critical to the studio/fashion crowd. ::)
If the sensors in Canon cameras precluded them from getting the results their clients demand, they'd switch. That doesn't seem to be happening.

Studio-fashion crowd works with something called lighting and subject areas that require no tonal compression so Canon can handle that with aplomb with a little partial/spot metering.

May I ask which type of photography is canon so woefully incapable of that all practitioners have abandoned ship for greener pastures?
 
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LetTheRightLensIn said:
Taking a quick peek at the Sony compression (and such a quick peek that my conclusions could be wrong):

The compressed RAWs on the Sony do seem a little bit of a shame though. When any row of 32 pixels doesn't have any extreme jumps of shade within it you might go lossless, but if you get some parts like pitch black and some bright just about clipped white then it seems it's forced to create posterization since it has to span near 14bits with a small bit offset apparently.

OTOH though, keep in mind that it appears to really be a shame only compared to MF and Nikon.

It sounds like it probably could make it a little worse on certain parts of images than the Nikons, with a bit posterization and so on, but I'm not sure it would necessarily ever be worse than what the Canons can do and in many regions you'll get the full tonality bonus and you should also get at least two stops more DR at low ISO I'd think even in the tricky spots.

Anyway take that with a bit of a grain of salt. Depending upon finer details of how it gets carried out and whether my quick glance picked up all correctly the answer might change a bit.

Where are you getting this from? I didnt think any official RAW files were available for a7r II yet? I have seen somewhere that compression will be the same as it was with the a7r, but that Sony have accepted it is something that could potentially be changed with a firmware update, and that they are aware it is something that has been asked for.
 
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that1guyy said:
This might be useful for some of you.

http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/canon-lens-owners-look-at-that-first-a7rii-autofocus-test-video-with-canon-mount-lens/

It seems quite obvious, that A7RII isn't a DSLR killer. It's autofokus seems mostly ok when the shot is "almost" in focus, but it still seems quite unreliable to me, and that would annoy me a lot. Further, I suspect the AF to perform far worse on longer lenses, where the out of focus areas has less contrast, and are more blurry.
 
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Larsskv said:
It seems quite obvious, that A7RII isn't a DSLR killer. It's autofokus seems mostly ok when the shot is "almost" in focus, but it still seems quite unreliable to me, and that would annoy me a lot. Further, I suspect the AF to perform far worse on longer lenses, where the out of focus areas has less contrast, and are more blurry.

The focusing in the links was with non-native lenses. In terms of image quality, unless it is a marked step down from the a7r, it will be up there with the very best DSLRs - though I accept that doesnt make it a DSLR killer.
 
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krisbell said:
Larsskv said:
It seems quite obvious, that A7RII isn't a DSLR killer. It's autofokus seems mostly ok when the shot is "almost" in focus, but it still seems quite unreliable to me, and that would annoy me a lot. Further, I suspect the AF to perform far worse on longer lenses, where the out of focus areas has less contrast, and are more blurry.

The focusing in the links was with non-native lenses. In terms of image quality, unless it is a marked step down from the a7r, it will be up there with the very best DSLRs - though I accept that doesnt make it a DSLR killer.

It was Rishi at DPRev who claimed that the A7RII would autofocus on par (or really close) with Canon DSLRs with Canon lenses, and that doesn't seem to be the case. Now, I have had an eye on Rishi for a while, and I find him to be a Sony fanboy. He will often disagree if anybody states anything in favor of Canon DSLRs, and he will just as often get defensive if anyone says any negative about Sony. Further, in a weekly round up article at DPRev last week, they praised the A7RII, and other Sony Products, and ended the article with a video of a guy smashing his Canon DSLR with a golf club...
 
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Larsskv said:
It was Rishi at DPRev who claimed that the A7RII would autofocus on par (or really close) with Canon DSLRs with Canon lenses, and that doesn't seem to be the case.

Yep I never believed that claim - Sony themselves have said it is only a 40% improvement over the a7r. Unfortunately 40% improvement over practically no autofocus is still not nearly good enough for me for general purpose photography.
 
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krisbell said:
Larsskv said:
It was Rishi at DPRev who claimed that the A7RII would autofocus on par (or really close) with Canon DSLRs with Canon lenses, and that doesn't seem to be the case.

Yep I never believed that claim - Sony themselves have said it is only a 40% improvement over the a7r. Unfortunately 40% improvement over practically no autofocus is still not nearly good enough for me for general purpose photography.

I guess it is no way to dispute that the A7-series are closing the gap between mirrorless and DSRL's quite quickly.

However, I do find it odd that Sony isn't working harder to keep the bodies and lenses smaller and lighter. The difference between a 6D and a small, light and large aperture lens, and an A7 with a comparable lens, isn't that big of a deal.

I can not see myself trade the mirror in a DSLR in return for the A7-series size advantage.
 
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Aglet said:
bdunbar79 said:
unfocused said:
that1guyy said:
This might be useful for some of you.

http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/canon-lens-owners-look-at-that-first-a7rii-autofocus-test-video-with-canon-mount-lens/

Hmm...I don't think I hear dynamic range mentioned once in these reviews. They seemed focused on autofocus, adapters for Canon lenses, frame rate and shutter volume. On all of these specs, it seemed as though the reviewers were basically saying that it is almost as good as a DSLR. Funny how no one seemed to care to mention this sensor that is supposed to be the king-of-super-awesomeness-that-makes-all-other-cameras-worthless-in-comparison.

Maybe that's not such an important criteria for the majority of customers?

We already know it's not such an important criteria for the majority of customers via market share stats and DSLR sales stats.
That's likely true with a large percentage of those "sales numbers" being the sort who only tend to get off the "green box" by accident.

That's quite an a$$sumption. And as is typical, with absolutely no evidence at all.
 
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